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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26304364">trust</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiri_Kaitou_Clover/pseuds/Kiri_Kaitou_Clover'>Kiri_Kaitou_Clover</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Kamen Rider - All Media Types, Kamen Rider Zero-One</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aruto sees Izu as family, Attempted Emotional Manipulation, Gen, New Izu Is Not Izu, Post-Canon, character introspection, speculation fic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 09:48:39</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>689</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26304364</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiri_Kaitou_Clover/pseuds/Kiri_Kaitou_Clover</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Azu tries to sway the new Izu in the middle of a new war.</p>
<p>Izu believes what she's experienced.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hiden Aruto &amp; Izu, Izu &amp; Azu (Kamen Rider Zero-One)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>trust</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Post Canon, a speculative conversation that happens between Azu and New Izu, inspired by what we see in the Zero-One opening.</p>
<p>Also speculates on how Aruto may have raised this Izu.</p>
<p>Azu continues to be a bitch in this but what do you expect?</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Destruction surrounded them.</p>
<p>Humagears and humans fighting each other.</p>
<p>Malice and despair rising.</p>
<p>The Kamen Riders, both Humagears and humans alike, attempting to quell the chaos on both sides.</p>
<p>In the center of it all, the fallen form of Hiden Aruto crawled through the ruins towards his target.</p>
<p>A black veiled Humagear, whose arms wrapped softly around his secretary, his friend, his new little sister. A veiled threat, that she could easily end her life in front of him. Easily plunge him back into despair in a single movement.</p>
<p>“Izu... please...” Aruto pleaded, fear, fury and desperation filling him. “Azu... let her go, she has nothing to do with this fight!”</p>
<p>"You're just a replacement to him," Azu, the Humagear who shared her face continued to whisper to her. "Just a convenient look alike. He doesn't care about you. All he cares about is the last Izu. The one who died."</p>
<p>Izu had been hearing her say these words the entire fight. Words that told her to leave Aruto. To betray Aruto. Azu’s words told her to abandon him, for he did not care for the Izu of the now.</p>
<p>But Izu didn't see that.</p>
<p>
  <em>"Hey, Izu, what do you think we should do today?"</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Aruto-shachou. You still have paperwork to finish."</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>"Aaaaaaah no more paperwork! Today we don't have contract meetings or factory visits! And I'm sure you probably had enough of learning about my killer jokes for a while! I'm asking you what you think we should do, since we have time today!"</em>
</p>
<p>He always looked at Izu fondly. Nowhere was there regret, or grief, or sorrow. He looked at her like she mattered.</p>
<p>
  <em>"Hey, Izu? Who do you suggest we bring in to help with this client? I already have an idea in mind but I want your input, just to be sure."</em>
</p>
<p>He trusted her. Listened to her... most of the time. But still.</p>
<p>
  <em>"I know I chose to call you Izu, in memory of her. But you are your own person, ok? One day, when you achieve Singularity, if you want to be called something else, want to do something other than work for me, tell me, alright? You can make your own choices. Remember that for me."</em>
</p>
<p>He never hid that fact from her. That she was not the Izu of the past. And he always treated her as her own person, that she was an individual capable of making her own decisions.</p>
<p>And so.</p>
<p>“I won’t betray him,” Izu said. She could feel her counterpart’s grip on her tighten, squeezing her limbs in anger. She smiled when Aruto, hearing this, relaxed, slowly forcing himself to stand as determination filled his face.</p>
<p>“Why?” Azu asked, anger filling her voice that was uncharacteristic of her, “He clearly doesn’t care for you! All he sees is the ghost of someone he lost! All he’s doing is forcing his image of her on you! Isn’t that enough to hate him?!”</p>
<p>Izu turned to look at Azu. And wondered if this was how she could have turned out, if she gave in to despair, malice, hate. A lying deceitful monster, incapable of comprehending the human heart, incapable of comprehending the illogical nature of humans’ actions.</p>
<p>“He hasn’t treated me any differently,” Izu answered. “Aruto-shachou loves Humagears. Treats them as family. Has always told us we had a choice to go beyond our purpose. He never hid this from us. And he never lied to me. Maybe his reasons for bringing me back was because he missed the old Izu. But the experiences she had with Aruto-shachou will always be different from the experiences I’ve had with him. We aren’t the same people, and he knows this.”</p>
<p>“So no. I will not betray Aruto-shachou. Not for anything.”</p>
<p>As she ripped herself from Azu’s grip, out of the way of the Attache Calibur’s slash, and was carried away from the battlefield by Aruto, Izu smiled.</p>
<p>Perhaps it would take them a while to settle this particular battle, but for now, she would continue to support him. This human who saw her as her own person.</p>
<p>Nothing would change that.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Wrote a part of this last night since I kinda... kept seeing posts calling Aruto out on the hypocrisy of his actions. I'm honestly tired of people interpreting that scene as Aruto making New Izu to replace old Izu so this one fic was made to try and piece together how Aruto's interactions with this Izu would be a bit different. All while Azu continues to be a manipulative bitch.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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